


Let Evil Sink to the Soil Beneath

by PlatinumCross



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Humans can use magic to some extent, I've added details to some story aspects, Or not, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Second Person, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader is not named, Reader might have a set appearance but it will rarely be mentioned and will change, Reader's gender is not specified, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, So things might be different from canon, Timelines and Resets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2017-07-30
Packaged: 2018-12-08 03:09:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11637687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PlatinumCross/pseuds/PlatinumCross
Summary: Escaping reality and high expectations to the barricaded mountain might not have been your brightest idea. But unlike everyone else before you, an adult human might actually stand a chance at returning to the Surface.Figuring a way out should not pose a problem to you, but a few things end up complicating things during your journey through the Underground. Who would've thought the vengeful spirit of a dead kid could try to stop you, and who would've thought you could end up crushing on a damn skeleton?"Just dandy! I was stupidly curious and I’m gonna get killed by monsters because of that!"Use your PERSEVERANCE, and get yourself out of any tough situation.





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya! Is Undertale even relevant anymore? It's been some time since I visited the fandom, so I have no idea about the current trends you guys have here. Also, a reader-insert fanfic in 2017? Really, me? Really?
> 
> Anyways, this is my first work on AO3 and the first fic I've written in a while, so... Welcome! If descriptions or dialogue sound a bit clumsy, it might be because my English skills are a bit rusty at the moment. What a dumpster fire. :"D
> 
> Enjoy!

Hundreds of years ago, monsters and humans lived in peace. Humans, mostly incapable of magic, burned monsters’ civilization down in jealousy, starting a war that would take an unnecessary amount of lives. Monsters were forced under the huge Mt. Ebott, trapping them underground. Seven magically adept humans, known as mages, had been gathered to create a magical barrier only a human soul, fused with a monster soul, could cross. The mages used their souls to seal the monsters in, the seven traits creating an amalgamation no amount of monster souls could destroy.

PATIENCE, BRAVERY, INTEGRITY, PERSEVERANCE, KINDNESS, JUSTICE, DETERMINATION.

Each soul trait strong in their own way, yet unequal in power. To counter the souls of the mages, monsters would need to gather one of each human soul trait to be free again.

The seven mages gave their lives and perished, their ancient magic unknown to modern humans. So out of touch with their magic were humans, that they didn’t even know of the existence of souls. The potential was dormant within each human, their hidden souls possessing one of the seven traits.

Each trait manifested itself in humans in a certain way which should’ve made the existence of something magical obvious. Unfortunately, humans were very good at denying anything supernatural and assumed these traits as different talents and specialties. 

Was your soul turquoise, its trait PATIENCE? Well, you were a naturally good diplomat. Or maybe you had indigo INTEGRITY? In that case, your mental balance would be unwavering. No one had ever considered these skills to be anything out of the ordinary. No one had ever considered that humans had the huge potential to utilize their souls and become omnipotent mages.

What a shame that the potential had all been lost, and now the only ones benefitting from human souls were the monsters.

* * *

Mt. Ebott had been heavily barricaded. After the war, no one had wanted any unfortunate humans to accidentally fall down to their doom. Even if there was a chance that a human could survive the deadly fall, they would’ve had to spend the rest of their life in the world of monsters. Too bad that the barricades and the fences had never been rebuilt. No rusty pieces of metal and broken stone could ever hold rowdy groups of children or wild gangs of teenagers out of the woods.

Before a young child in a striped blue sweater had accidentally stumbled across a huge hole in the mountain they were not supposed to climb, seven other humans had fallen through Mt. Ebott and died there, all bearing a different trait.

Yes, seven humans had already fallen down and met the same fate of death in the hands of monsters. But in truth, there had been one single human who had fallen through the hole and survived through the barrier.

This is the story of that human.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the prologue. I'll try to update this somewhat regularly, but I won't set an update schedule. If you find any typos or such, please tell me in the comments so that I can fix them ASAP!
> 
> All other kinds of feedback are also very welcome! I wanna know what you guys think. See ya soon!


	2. A Cure for Procrastination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A hiking trip is an excellent way to clear your thoughts and make better decisions. It's also a great way to find a huge hole in a mountain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to note: In true reader-insert style, I'll use things like (y/n) (your name), and (f/c) (favorite color). Apologies for those who prefer a set name, lol.
> 
> Hope you like the chapter!

You had a problem. Of course, you hadn't admitted it to yourself yet, but your surroundings proved more than enough. Dozens of college applications left unfilled, jumbo packets of instant noodles and a dark, cramped apartment with dirty socks thrown across the floor. 

You had told yourself countless times that it was just you. You were the indecisive one. You were the lazy one. You were the dumb one. You had never even considered that something else might be at fault here. After years of high expectations, you had never even considered that you’d end up as a burnout college dropout with no idea how to proceed. 

After browsing the Internet for hours trying to find the right place to get a degree from, you decided to check your phone. The library was closing soon, and you needed to get back home. You shut the library computer down (You didn’t have one at home), packed your notebook and pencil case to your backpack, and left through the library exit. Another fruitless day of pretending to be productive.

Checking your phone again, your eyes briefly focused on the flip of your phone case. The corner had a neat picture of you and your mother. It constantly felt like it was threatening you, daring you to call her and explain your seemingly hopeless situation. Even with the negative feelings associated with the picture, you never tore it off. You were an optimist after all. Or so you liked to tell yourself. 

Your mother really did love you, but you weren't sure if she knew how to show it properly. Enrolling you in a prestigious private middle and high school seemed like a good idea to her, and back then it seemed like a good idea to you too, even though you didn't have a say in the matter. Your mother always told you that if you could have, you would’ve chosen the school your friends went to. She thought that poor public schools would never be able to cater to your level of intelligence.

See, there's the kicker, the root of your troubles. In childhood, you built a reputation for yourself as a genius. Everyone marveled at your quick problem-solving and decision-making. Your mother was so proud that no kind of problem was too difficult for you. Even if it took no effort, you aced your way through elementary school with almost perfect grades. But were good grades the proof of intelligence?

The prestigious middle school was too much for you. Sometimes there was more school work in one semester than an office worker had in two years! It also seemed like your borderline magical problem-solving capabilities disappeared completely when you hit puberty. You were constantly stressed out and fighting for even one scrap of peace and quiet. 

High school was no better. You failed tests here and there, could never bring yourself to finish your homework and dreaded going to school every day, in case there had been an essay or a project that you had completely forgotten about. The only saving grace was the people you met during that time. 

Your classmates weren't as stuck-up and snobbish as someone would have expected. All of them were skilled and regarded their work with pride, yet were very humble about it and rarely thought anyone to be inferior to them. Surely you would’ve been at ease with your classmates if you had been as talented and studious as them. Along with that, at the beginning of middle school, you had given them the impression that you were a genius. Bitter disappointment ensued, nothing new there. As time passed, rumors started circulating that you had cheated your way into the school. Funny how even the nicest of people can stab you in the back due to peer pressure. If only you could've proven yourself to your classmates and friends.

By the end of high school, you had disappointed your mother, your teachers, and your friends. You gave the last bits of energy you had left to the final exams, and graduated with surprisingly decent grades. Maybe it was out of pity. You felt like a golden sticker of a star with the words "you tried", written on it in Comic Sans was what you deserved.

You had achieved nothing and felt like a lucky cheater. 

After graduation, you felt the need to cater to your mother’s wishes yet again and decided to get a medical degree. Did you like studying medicine one bit? No. Truth to be told, you hated it more than any other subject before. After studying for a few months, you decided to drop out and figure your life out for good. You moved to a small pleasant town surrounded by a mountainous area, away from your mother, away from your past friends, away from your college, away from all the pressure and expectations.

You had spent over half a year in the town and absolutely loved it. You took up some odd jobs and gained your bread by working as a waitress or a cashier. You lived in your happy little bubble until it was time to decide your next move. What would you do now? You needed a degree, you owed your mother at least that much for paying your school fees. The issue was, you couldn’t focus on anything due to the stress that kept building and building up. Stressing out was especially unhealthy for you since you always completely forgot to take care of yourself and your studio apartment. You had a problem.

* * *

The area around your hometown was popular with hikers. Little shops selling hiking gear and shoes were the most profitable income for the town since the number of hikers coming through in a month was record-breaking. There was only one mountain, known as Mt. Ebott, that rarely got any visitors. Your boss — at the café you had been working at — told you that the town had been established because of an ancient story about a war raging between humans and monsters. After humans had won, monsters were sealed inside Mt. Ebott, and your town was built to alert the world if they ever got free.

Naturally, that story was just a myth, but the rusty barricade around the mountain kept people believing. Because of superstition and rumors about children going missing, most hikers left Mt. Ebott alone. Some youngsters naturally wanted to explore, but never went too far up. You, on the other hand, were sure those stories were all made up to keep people away to avoid pollution or trips to the ER. One little trip up the mountain wouldn’t hurt you, quite the opposite. Maybe what you needed to make a decision about college were some fresh air and a new scenery. So you went.

* * *

It really felt nice, like you could finally breathe with ease. Your mind seemed to work a bit faster and you almost felt like a child again, with your past nimble problem-solving. Almost. Maybe everything could turn out fine. You just needed to spend some time on Mt. Ebott, clear your mind and ponder on your future. After that, you’d be able to prove you never were dumb, that you would be strong enough to fight your own battles. You’d be able to prove all your previous classmates that you really were a genius, that the circumstances were only working against you. Everything would turn out just fine.

In case you wanted to spend a whole night on the mountain, you had packed food, a first-aid kit, a sleeping bag, clothes and other necessary supplies. Your (f/c) backpack strapped against your striped gray sweater was almost full, but it didn’t feel heavy at all. It seemed like fresh air made everything feel lighter. You laughed out loud.

There was a little meadow of buttercups inside a thicket, and an ancient-looking bench had been placed on the edge of the meadow. You sat on it and just observed your surroundings. You couldn’t have picked a more beautiful day for hiking. You heard birds singing, saw flowers blooming and stared absent-mindedly at the huge crater 30 feet away from the meadow.

That didn’t sound right. You immediately stood up and talked to yourself, “A crater? In a place like this, on a mountain?” You took a few hesitant steps towards it. “Okay, not a crater. Just a huge hole in the mountain. A freaking hole. In a mountain!” you shouted out loud, just because there was no one else around. Something needed to break the silence, and your voice was up to the task.

Maybe this was a secret hideout. There was no way such a perfect circle was the result of a landslide. This had to be artificially made.

You were standing almost on the edge of the hole. You knew it was dangerous, but adrenaline coursed through you simply because of feeling such freedom for the first time in years.

“Maybe I could get a closer loo—” a stone breaking beneath your foot cut your sentence off and you fell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All feedback is welcome!


End file.
